Ontario University Admission Requirements 2027

For an Ontario high-school applicant, the common starting point is the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), six eligible Grade 12 U or M courses, and every prerequisite named for the exact university program. That baseline does not create one province-wide formula. Universities differ on which courses enter the average, repeats, course delivery, Grade 11 review, supplements and conditional offers.

Fast answer: open the live page for each exact program and write down the prerequisite course codes, minimum prerequisite grades, number of eligible Grade 12 courses, average formula, supplemental requirements and offer conditions. A general university minimum or an old competitive average is not enough.

Reviewed August 31, 2026 for students planning Fall 2027 entry. OUAC has published the Ontario school grade-transfer schedule and the January 15, 2027 Group A application deadline. Many universities have not yet published every Fall 2027 program deadline, competitive range or supplement date. Recheck each live source before applying.

The OSSD is the graduation baseline, not the complete admission requirement

Ontario's current diploma policy requires 30 credits, the literacy requirement and 40 hours of community involvement for the OSSD. The compulsory-credit mix depends partly on when the student entered Grade 9, and students in the newer cohort also face the province's financial-literacy graduation requirement.

The OSSD answers “Can this student graduate from an Ontario secondary school?” It does not by itself answer “Is this student eligible or competitive for this university program?”

For admission, a university can also require:

• six Grade 12 university-preparation or university/college-preparation courses;
• ENG4U or another specified English course;
• named mathematics, science, language or creative prerequisites;
• minimum grades in individual prerequisites;
• a competitive calculated average above the eligibility floor;
• a portfolio, audition, interview, written response or other supplement;
• evidence of English proficiency under the university's rules;
• program-specific conditions after an offer.

An applicant can earn the OSSD and still be missing a required course. An applicant can also meet every published minimum. That applicant can still be below the competitive level for a capacity-limited program.

Decode Ontario Grade 12 course codes

Ontario's secondary-school policy describes Grades 11 and 12 courses by destination. In common Grade 12 codes:

Read the complete course code. ENG4U, MHF4U, MCV4U, MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U and SPH4U are not generic labels; each is a different prerequisite. “One Grade 12 math” may mean a specific course or a choice from a defined list.

Build a prerequisite plan by program, not by university name

Requirements can change across faculties at the same university. Use these program-family patterns to start the investigation, then replace the pattern with the exact current course list.

Engineering

Ontario engineering programs commonly name English, Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry and Physics. But the average formula can differ. Minimum subject grades, the supplemental application, repeated-course policy and treatment of non-day-school courses can differ too.

Queen's Engineering is a useful exception to the phrase “Top 6”: Queen's says Engineering uses the five named prerequisite courses. Waterloo Engineering includes its prerequisites in an admission average but also uses the Admission Information Form and publishes extra cautions about repeats and required courses outside regular day school.

First set the basic course list. Then use the Canadian engineering program comparison. Also use the Engineering page of each university.

Computer Science

Computer Science math requirements are not the same everywhere. Advanced Functions and Calculus are common. But some programs treat Data Management differently. Some set subject minimums. Some admit you to a broad category first and decide your program later. Some require a supplementary application.

Do not copy one campus's rules to another. U of T St. George, UTM and UTSC, for example, have separate admission categories and first-year program-entry structures. The U of T Computer Science guide maps those campus distinctions.

Business and commerce

Business programs can require one or more of Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors or Data Management. Selective programs can add written or video assessments. They can also add prerequisite minimums. These minimums are separate from the overall competitive average.

For example, Queen's Commerce currently publishes minimum marks for English, Calculus and one additional eligible mathematics course. Other business programs use different math sets. Some admit on grades alone. Compare the Canadian business-program guide and the exact program page.

Health sciences, life sciences and nursing

Biology, Chemistry, English and one or more mathematics courses are common in science-based routes. But the exact combination is program-specific. Health Sciences and Nursing can also require a supplementary assessment.

Do not treat “pre-med” as one high-school prerequisite package. A student's undergraduate program requirements and a future medical school's requirements are separate. The health sciences and pre-med comparison explains that distinction.

Arts, humanities and social sciences

English is commonly required. Many programs use the other eligible U/M courses to finish the admission set. Some routes still need more. These include economics, architecture, music, theatre, language and design. They can require mathematics, auditions, portfolios or other subjects. Always open the exact admission category.

“Top 6” is common, not a universal formula

The phrase usually means a calculated average from eligible Grade 12 U/M courses. It does not tell you if prerequisites must be inside the six. It does not tell you if a subject minimum applies. It does not tell you if co-op is excluded. It does not tell you if the university uses Grade 11 results early. It does not tell you if a faculty uses a different count.

These current policies show the differences:

How to calculate a planning average

For each program:

1. List every named prerequisite and its minimum grade.
2. Record the university's number of courses and eligible course types.
3. Put all mandatory prerequisites into the calculated set when the policy requires it.
4. Add the highest remaining eligible courses until the required count is reached.
5. Apply any program-specific rule, such as Queen's Engineering's five-course calculation.
6. Keep prerequisite minimums separate from the overall average.
7. Treat the result as a planning estimate, not an admission decision.

If a university says the best six may not include every prerequisite, maintain two checks: the best-six average and the minimum grade in each required subject.

Minimum average, historical range and actual selection are different

A minimum average can set basic eligibility. A historical admission range describes past admitted students or a past planning band. A competitive average changes with the current applicant pool and open spaces. None is a guaranteed cut-off. That is true unless the university clearly promises a threshold-based process.

Before using a number, record:

• the university, campus, faculty and exact program;
• whether it is a minimum, historical range or current estimate;
• the applicant curriculum and entry year;
• the courses used in the calculation;
• subject-specific minimums;
• whether a supplement is required;
• the source URL and the date checked.

Do not publish or rely on a table that presents one fixed percentage for every applicant. A previous-year range can help build a balanced list, but it cannot predict the current final cut-off.

Grade 11, first-semester and second-semester marks

Ontario universities can review an application before all Grade 12 courses are final. UTM and Western describe early use of Grade 11 evidence. Guelph says its calculation can combine completed or in-progress 4U/M courses and completed 3U/M courses when six completed Grade 12 results are unavailable.

uOttawa says its first round relies more on Grade 11 results before later rounds prioritize Grade 12 evidence.

That does not mean Grade 11 marks permanently replace Grade 12 requirements. As OUAC supplies more Grade 12 results, universities can reassess the file. A later offer can depend on interim marks, and every conditional offer can be withdrawn if final conditions are not met.

Use the focused Grade 11 marks and university admission guide for current UTM, McMaster, Western, Guelph, and uOttawa examples. It also has Queen's guidance for applicants not studying in an Ontario school. It separates early evidence from final conditions. It gives a Fall 2027 planning timeline.

OUAC's current 2026–2027 school schedule includes these planning milestones:

These are system milestones. They are not promises that a certain university will make an offer on those dates. A school can decide in rounds. It can also close a supplement or document task on its own schedule.

Repeated, online, night-school, summer and private-school courses

There is no single Ontario university policy for course attempts or delivery. Current examples:

For McMaster, use the McMaster University admission requirements guide. It links its Ontario prerequisite and repeat-course rules to program ranges. It also links them to supplementary-application distinctions, offer rounds and applicant-portal steps.

Before repeating or moving a required course:

1. Open the policy for every target university and faculty.
2. Identify whether the course is a named prerequisite.
3. Ask whether the policy changes by program, number of attempts or provider.
4. Preserve the original and new course information on the application.
5. Do not omit an attempt or misstate the school.
6. If the published policy is not clear, ask the admission office for advice in writing. Ask for advice on things that matter.

An upgrade can raise one institution's calculated average. Another institution may review it in a different way. Compare the full target list first. Only then choose the course plan.

Questions about school-level mark differences are separate from repeat and course-delivery rules. The grade inflation and university admissions guide explains Waterloo Engineering's narrow published adjustment method, the current September 2027 no-penalty update, and why historical school lists should not be treated as a current ranking or calculator.

Conditional offers and final requirements

Most offers made before the OSSD and final Grade 12 results are available are conditional. The offer letter or applicant portal can require:

• completion of the OSSD;
• completion of six eligible Grade 12 courses;
• a minimum final overall average;
• minimum final grades in named prerequisites;
• successful completion of every required subject;
• final official grades by a stated date;
• proof of English proficiency or other documents;
• completion of a program-specific assessment or integrity requirement.

Queen's explains that its final condition is calculated from six courses for most programs. For Engineering, it is calculated from five prerequisite courses. Carleton describes the final best six including prerequisites. Carleton stresses that each applicant must follow the conditions on their own offer.

Do not rely on a friend's condition or a previous year's website. Save the offer. List each condition verbatim in a tracker. Record the document route and deadline. Check the portal until the university marks the requirement complete.

International, IB, A-level, CAPE and US curricula

There is no universal Canadian grade-conversion table. A university can publish different subject equivalencies, credential expectations, English-language rules and admission calculations for IB, British-patterned, Caribbean, US, provincial and other curricula.

Use this sequence:

1. Select the applicant's actual country and curriculum on the university website.
2. Choose the exact campus and program.
3. Match every required Ontario subject to the university's published curriculum equivalent.
4. Confirm the credential, number of subjects, level and minimum grades.
5. Check whether predicted, interim, external-exam and final results are required.
6. Follow the institution's document and translation route.
7. Let the university perform its own assessment.

Do not convert an IB score, A-level grade, CAPE unit or US GPA (grade point average) into an unofficial Ontario percentage. Do not present it as the admission average. For document and third-party assessment questions, use the credential-evaluation guide.

Create one requirements worksheet for every program

Use one row per exact university choice:

Review the worksheet whenever a university updates its Fall 2027 pages. A current program page takes priority over an old blog, screenshot, social post or copied table.

Academic-requirements checklist

• Confirm the OSSD plan, literacy requirement and community-involvement hours with the school.
• List every Grade 11 and Grade 12 course code and the expected completion term.
• Choose the exact campus, faculty, admission category and program.
• Copy the current prerequisites and individual subject minimums.
• Confirm which 4U and 4M courses can complete the admission set.
• Record whether prerequisites are included in the average.
• Check whether the program uses five, six or another defined set of courses.
• Separate the eligibility minimum from the historical or competitive range.
• Read repeat, upgrade, summer, online, night-school and private-school policies.
• Check whether a supplement, portfolio, audition or interview is required.
• Submit through OUAC by the correct applicant-group deadline.
• Monitor OUAC grade transfers and every university applicant portal.
• Track the exact conditions and final-document deadline on each offer.
• Recheck every source before changing a prerequisite or accepting an offer.

Official sources

Requirements change by admission cycle, applicant type and program. Verify the current policy on the official pages below and on the exact program page.

• Ontario — OSSD diploma and certificate requirements
• Ontario — secondary-school courses and course types
• OUAC guidance — 2026–2027 schedule of dates
• University of Waterloo — calculating an admission average
• University of Waterloo — repeated and non-day-school courses
• University of Waterloo — September 2027 counsellor updates
• University of Waterloo — understanding admission requirements
• University of Toronto — Canadian high-school requirements
• McMaster University — Ontario high-school applicants
• Queen's University — Ontario admission requirements
• Queen's University — offers of admission on OUInfo
• Queen's University — conditional offers
• Western University — offers of admission on OUInfo
• University of Guelph — offers of admission on OUInfo
• Toronto Metropolitan University — Ontario requirements
• Toronto Metropolitan University — 2026–2027 admission policy
• University of Ottawa — Ontario three-round admission process
• Carleton University — current Ontario high-school students
• Carleton University — understanding a conditional offer